Penumbra (episode)
Sisko plans to marry Kasidy Yates; Worf is missing after a battle with the Dominion. (Part 1 of 9) Summary During a quiet evening in 2375, Benjamin Sisko reveals to Kasidy Yates that he has recently purchased twelve hecapates of land on Bajor, in the Kendra Province. He plans to build a home there, for his retirement years. They reminisce about the past, marveling at how much has changed in Sisko's seven years on DS9. They are a couple, very much in love. Kira informs everyone that Worf is missing in combat, and is presumed dead. Worf had been in command of the Klingon vessel [[IKS Koraga|IKS Koraga]], which was destroyed by a Dominion patrol near the Badlands. Although six of its escape pods were recovered, Worf wasn't aboard any of them. Searching the area for three days, the ''Defiant'' can find no trace of him; back at the station, Quark tries to cheer up a demoralized Ezri Dax. Later that evening, the Defiant calls off the search in the face of a dozen approaching Dominion ships. Instead of pursuing the Defiant, the Dominion ships are diverted by Weyoun to Devos II to protect the Son'a's ketracel-white facility. When Weyoun questions Damar's drinking of kanar, Damar turns the tables and questions the health of the Founders. Weyoun dismisses his queries, and orders the installation of a new subspace, secretly-encoded communication channel for the Founder on Cardassia. Walking past Worf's now-empty quarters, Dax overrides the lock and enters. She sees the bat'leth given to Jadzia by Worf, and begins to reminisce about Jadzia's relationship and marriage to Worf. She suddenly feels more than ever a part of the Dax symbiont, so she borrows the runabout [[USS Gander|USS Gander]] to search for Worf on her own. Sisko supplies her with their search logs from the Defiant to improve her chances. While studying the ship's logs, she discovers that the six recovered escape pods had all been launched from the starboard side of the ship. Assuming Worf made it to a port-side escape pod, Ezri calculates the pod's trajectory, and follows it in the runabout, even powering down her thrusters, to more closely simulate a drifting pod in the Badlands currents. Her plan succeeds: she locates an escape pod, captures it with a tractor beam, and transports its sole occupant – a disoriented Worf – aboard safely to her runabout. Sisko, who is constructing a scale model of his prospective house on Bajor, is discussing some of its design details with Kasidy, when suddenly he proposes marriage, even producing an engagement ring from a table in the model house. She accepts, and the joyous couple embrace. Later, Benjamin asks his son Jake to be the best man at his wedding; Jake eagerly accepts, noting that his duties also include planning the groom's bachelor party. On Cardassia, the Founder finds the newly-installed communication system adequate. However, she seems more concerned with Weyoun's news regarding their search for a vaccine. The latest batch of vaccine failed to accomplish its goal of finding a cure for the sickness infecting the Great Link, so she tears off a piece of herself, giving it to Weyoun as a tissue sample for future experimentation by the next round of Vorta medical clones. She insists on keeping the sickness a secret from the Cardassians, whose suspicions have already been aroused. On their way back to DS9, Worf and Ezri soon grow tense and stand-offish with one another, until Ezri tries to break the ice. She gets Worf to admit that he had been singing the Klingon opera Gav'ot toh'va before she rescued him. When her inquiries regarding Worf's son Alexander get too personal, they begin to argue, but their argument is interrupted by two incoming Jem'Hadar fighters. Attempting to hide in the Goralis system, they emergency-transport to the surface of a planet, moments before the Gander burns up in the planet's atmosphere. They immediately discover that they are without their communications gear, and therefore have no way to contact home. While planning their nuptials, Sisko and Yates are approached by Sahgi[[, a young Bajoran girl, who congratulates them and asks if she can be a dais bearer. The question prompts confusion in Ben and Kasidy, but Sahgi simply says that she understands they can only pick fifty-one girls for position but it would be such an honor for her. Now Ben and Kasidy are really confused, but Sahgi tells them it's going to be the biggest wedding Bajor has ever seen. It is not just Ben Sisko getting married, but the [[Emissary of the Prophets. Then the couple notice a crowd of Bajorans on the Promenade, all marveling at the sight of the Emissary and his wife-to-be. The two realize their wedding will be far more difficult than most. On Cardassia, Dukat pays an unexpected visit to Damar, asking for a favor. He ends up contacting a plastic surgeon, and soon afterwards appears to Damar in his quarters, now seemingly Bajoran. Still marooned on the planet, Worf and Dax quickly get on each other's nerves. Their arguments, about their current predicament as well as their past, lead then to nearly come to blows – only to wind up in one another's embrace. Later that night, still sleeping side-by-side, they are stunned by the Breen and taken prisoner. Sisko experiences another vision from the Prophets, urging him to accept his destiny as the Emissary. The Prophet which embodied his mother, Sarah Sisko, reappears, hinting that he must fulfill his destiny alone, without even Kasidy. Despite Benjamin professing his love for Kasidy, the vision tells him to walk his road alone, and that his biggest trial is about to begin. Memorable Quotes "Oh! With the toothy smile and the transparent skull?" "Personally I don't know what Jadzia ever saw in the man." "Well, his brains." : - Bashir and O'Brien "Does Weyoun know you're here?" "Ah, I see he still has you under his thumb." "My concern is for you. The last time you saw him you made certain promises, promises you weren't able to keep." "I may have failed to re-open the wormhole, but I assure you, I have no regrets. You see, I've come to know the love of the Pah-wraiths." "You almost sound as if you believe it." "I do." : - Damar and Dukat "... you Sli'Vak!" : - Worf to Ezri, calling her the Klingon equivalent of the English word, "whore." "She's a Dax. Sometimes they don't think; they just do." : - Sisko, on Ezri Background Information *This episode is the first part of a nine-part series finale - the "Final Chapter." *This episode marks the only appearance of the ''Danube''-class runabout USS Gander on the series. *This episode features the only reference to the Son'a in a Star Trek TV series episode, one of the two major alien species featured in the film . Admiral Janeway also mentions Captain Picard's run-in with the Son'a in . *For a few scenes in the runabout, Ezri incorrectly has two solid pips on her collar, denoting a Lieutenant. Her correct insignia (one solid and one hollow pip) appears for the remainder of the episode. Video and DVD releases *UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 7.9, catalogue number VHR 4819, . *As part of the DS9 Season 7 DVD collection. Links and References Guest Stars *Penny Johnson as Kasidy Yates *Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun *Marc Alaimo as Dukat *Casey Biggs as Damar *Deborah Lacey as Sarah Sisko *Salome Jens as Female Changeling Co-Stars *Michelle Horn as Saghi *Majel Barrett as the Federation Computer Voice *Judi Durand as the Cardassian Computer Voice References Bajoran wormhole; Captain Boday; Bolian; communicator; dais bearer; Dax, Jadzia; Devos II; field rations; Kelvan; ketracel-white; Rakantha Province; Rozhenko, Alexander; ''Rotarran'', IKS; Saghi; Sirella; Sixth Fleet; Son'a; ''Ya'Vang'', IKS External links * * |next= }} Category:DS9 episodes de:Im Ungewissen es:Penumbra nl:Penumbra